Research Prize Winners

2012 Winners

First PlaceHayden Dingman
Major History/Film
Paper“Tin Soldiers and Nixon Coming”: Musical Framing and the Kent State Shootings
Supporting Faculty    Dr. Lee Estes, Department of History


Paper Description

Mr. Dingman’s paper analyzed the music that arose from the Kent State Shootings, revealing a new way of looking at the event, a cultural framing of vastly greater importance to the 1970s youth than heretofore recognized. The tragedy at Kent State became defined by the music around it more than the event itself.

Essay on the Research Process and Use of the Library

Mr. Dingman used the Leatherby Libraries as well as Orange Public Library for his basic research. As his research developed he turned more to online sources and eventually traveling to Kent State and working in their extensive holdings on the event in their Special Collections department.
Second Place Clara Chung
MajorVocal Performance/Music
PaperThe Distinctive character of Premonstratensian Chant
Supporting Faculty    Dr. Amy Graziano


Paper Description

 Ms. Chung’s study first places music, specifically Gregorian chant, in its proper religious context within the Catholic Church services and daily lives of the members of its many varied orders.  Then the differing chants of the Premonstratensian (AKA Norbertines) order are examined as a derivative from the original Gregorian chants.  After comparing the two types of chant, Chung is able to begin to define the distinct Norbertine characteristics through examination of “types of intervals and melodic patterns, differences in notation, and more decorated melodies for feasts of special importance to the Norbertines.”

Essay on the Research Process and Use of the Library

Ms. Chung exhaustively searched various music databases, such as RILM, Oxford Music Online, and Music Index, which she had learned how to use after instruction sessions with the Music Librarian (that’s me!).  After gaining a grasp of the topic’s background through this secondary literature, Clara turned to using WorldCat and Interlibrary Loan to actually examine Norbertine chant books.  The primary resources that Clara obtained through ILL spurred her on to discover the Center for Norbertine Studies in De Pere, Wisconsin, which she visited for one week thanks to a research grant from the Chapman Office of Undergraduate Research.  While at the Center, Clara was helped by the eager librarians, treated as a visiting scholar, and most importantly, was able to examine many different original sources of Norbertine chant.
Third Place Conny Fasshauer
MajorEnglish Lit./Philosophy
PaperRemoving the Rose Colored Glasses: Restoring Scholarly Value to Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë’s Works against Biographical Prejudice.
Supporting Faculty    Dr. Lynda Hall


Paper Description

Ms. Fasshauer’s paper discusses the myths and popular notions of the Bronte sister’s, how biographers have approached these myths, and the relation to the Bronte’s sister’s own writings of fiction and poetry. Conny stated “…these sisters were extremely influential both as specifically women writers and as Victorian novelists overall, reemphasizing the importance of the novels over the myths surrounding the authors’ lives”.


Essay on the Research Process and Use of the Library

Ms. Fasshauer used a variety of library materials in writing her paper. These included primary texts by Charlotte, Anne, and Emily Bronte; video biographies; reference materials such as the Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism collection, and the MLA International Bibliography database. After a wealth of resources had been gathered, Conny then spent time evaluating these sources to determine their appropriateness for her paper, which is an important part of the research process. Conny used multiple libraries to assist her with research and stated “I now have a greater familiarity with the language of research as well as the ability to judge the quality of a source. Thanks to the help of many librarians who were willing to guide me at any point in the process, my project was not only personally rewarding, but academically successful”.

One University Drive Orange CA 92866
714-532-7756